HAULERS THREATEN TRUCK HOLIDAY VS. ‘HARRASSMENT’

Haulers on Wednesday announced that that they will declare an indefinite truck holiday in response to what they called compounding harassment by Manila city hall traffic units.

Abraham Rebao, a director of the Binondo-based Aduana Business Club, an organization of truckers and brokers, said their problems with abusive wreckers and traffic enforcers worsened after the city mobilized its Anti-Smoke Belching Unit (ASBU).

“ASBU personnel are flagging down our trucks, causing further delay in the delivery of goods,” Rebao told The Manila Times.

He said the ASBU deployed their men right at the gates of Manila ports.

Aduana held a meeting on Monday and was scheduled to meet with Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada anytime this week. Its members reported that their drivers said ASBU personnel forced them to undergo smoke belching tests, causing long queues of trucks along their routes.

It could be recalled that over a month ago, the Manila City Council had passed an ordinance banning heavy trucks in the daytime. Truckers opposed the move, saying the time alloted to them was not enough to move goods to and from Manila ports.

Estrada then placed on hold the implementation of the ordinance and ordered a daytime window from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. As of this writing, the daytime window is still in effect.

Aduana, however, resumed operations to ease the piled up containers at Manila ports.

Rebao said they are appealing once more to Malacañang to intervene.

Aduana is demanding the recall of the ordinance and appealed to Estrada and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno to stop harassing them.